The Association of Pediatricians and Adolescent Doctors (BVKJ) has cautioned against “intolerable” conditions in the healthcare for minors unless Health Minister Carsten Linnemann (CDU) intervenes quickly. According to BVKJ spokesperson Jakob Maske, the system currently suffers from a profound lack of understanding and capacity. Maske noted that numerous wards are facing closure due to the inability to recruit sufficient staff, with the shortage being “appallingly evident” in specialized care for premature, critically ill, and intensive care patients. He expressed concern that a major crisis is inevitable, predicting that the situation will become unmanageable within the next three or four years as staff depart and new personnel cannot be found.
Maske reminded the public of the situation two years ago, when a lack of RS-virus vaccinations forced children from Berlin to be transported hundreds of kilometers to Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Brandenburg due to overflowing hospitals or the closure of specialized wards lacking qualified staff. He warned that such crises are set to return, asserting that the political leadership is proceeding oblivious to the catastrophe.
The primary reason cited for the staffing crisis is the switch to a generalized nursing training model implemented six and a half years ago. This reform requires prospective nurses who wish to care for children and adolescents to first work for two years with adult patients. Maske stressed that this requirement discourages many individuals who specifically wish to focus their career on pediatrics, often pushing them toward careers as teachers or educators. Survey data indicates that even 16- and 18-year-olds are choosing not to enter the profession because they do not want to work with adult patients.
The pediatrician and association spokesperson appealed directly to the new Health Minister, urging him to reverse the 2020 nursing reform. Maske stated that if Carsten Linnemann supported this change, it would be an “incredibly great achievement.” He explained that reverting to a system that separates pediatric and adolescent healthcare from general practice would significantly increase the flow of qualified candidates. While acknowledging that new training capacities would need to be established, he lamented that the introduction of the generalist model had “unfortunately destroyed an incredible amount.”
